Fence-machine



(No Model.)

T-. F. VANDEGRIFT 8a A. L. MAPLE.

FENGE MACHINE.

Patented M8 Fig.1.

' IJV'VENTORS.

N. PETERS, Pholo-Lilhogmpher, washingwn. u. c.

retest ATENT THEODORE F. VANDEGPIFT, OF NOAH, AND ALFRED L. MAPLE, OFSHEL- BYVILLE, INDIANA.

FENCE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,785, dated May 29,1888.

Application filed December .21, 1886. Serial No. 222,216. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THEODORE F. VAN DEGRIFT, of Noah, and ALFRED L.MAPLE, of the city of Shelbyvillc, county-of Shelby,

and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Fence-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our said invention relates to that class of fence-machines by whichfences are constructed by twisting wires about slats or pickets; and itconsists in a means of using either short orlong pickets,'or both, asmay be desired, in means for adjusting the several 1 5 parts, and incertain details of construction, all as will be hereinafter moreparticularly described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof,and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts, Figurel is a perspective view of a section of fence in process of constructionwith the aid of our improved machine; Fig. 2, a detail horizontalsectional view,on an enlarged scale, looking downwardly from the dottedline 2 2; Fig. 3, a side elevation of one of the twisting wheels andimmediately adjacent parts; Fig. 4, a similar view of the other side ofsaid twisting-wheel; Fig. 5, a transverse '30 vertical section of thesame; Fig. 6, a horizontalsectional view looking downwardly from thedotted line 6 6; Fig. 7, a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 6,and Fig. 8 a transverse vertical section of the same on the dotted lineIn said drawings, the portions marked A represent the post or standardof the machine; B, a truck-frame secured thereto; 0, thetwisting-wheels; D, the crank-shaft; E E, the driv- 40 ing-wheels; F,theyoke or frame in which the crank-shaft is mounted 5 G, bearings orarms, which are adapted to come in contact with the pickets and forcethem into proper position While the machine is being operated; I, the 5fence-wires, and H the fence slats or pickets. The post or standard A isa plain straight timber, and has the handles by which the machine ismoved, the truck-frame B, and the arms G, rigidly secured thereto, asalso plates A, having serrated faces, with which the brackets C, onwhich the twisting-wheels O are mounted, engage. of the driving-chains,and a plate, P, on which the bottoms of the pickets may rest when placedin position, are also secured thereto.

The truck-frame B is preferably a metal bar secured at a point betweenits ends to the standard A by a bolt, Z). At each end it is providedwith a truck, 13, mounted on a suitable journal, b, provided for thepurpose. Said trucks are mounted and arranged to run on the track B",which is secured to the fenceposts at the proper elevation abovetheground, as shown. A brace, B is secured at one end to one end of theframe B, and extends down to the standard A, to which its other end issecured' by means of a bolt, b". This end of said brace is provided witha series of perforations, as shown, and thus when it is desired, for anyreason, to change the position of the frame B in relation to thestandard A, it can be easily done by disengaging the brace from the boltb turning said frame to the position desired, and then engaging saidbrace again with the bolt 1) by means of another one of theperforations. While this adjustable connection is desirable at times, itwill be understood, of course, that the position of said frame B isalways substantially at right angles with the standard A, as shown, asany adjustment necessary is usually but very slight. By suspending themachine from near the top in the manner shown, itisalways suppc'irted atright angles with the track, which, being arranged parallel with thesurfaces over which the fence is being built, insures that the picketsshall be put into the fence at right angles with the surface over whichit is built,,and said machine is also adapted for use over all kinds ofrough, marshy, or watery surfaces, as will be readily understood.

The twisting-wheels O are ordinary chainwheels on their peripheries, butare slottcdin on. two sides a proper distance to receive the wires ofthe fence. They are mounted 011 the brackets O by means of a boltpassing through them and through a plate or washer, C", on the oppositeside of said bracket, as shown most plainly in Figs. 2 and 5. Thesetwisting wheels have large hollow hubs which extend through thebrackets, and these have notches in their edges into which projections con the A guide-roller, It, for one plates or washers extend, and thesides of said plates or washers are slotted similarly to the wheelsthemselves, so that the fence wires have a corresponding bearing inboth, said notches and projections serving to rigidly secure said washerto said twisting-wheels to revolve therewith and form practically a partthereof, as will be readily seen by noticing Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5.

The crank-shaft D is mounted in hearings in the yoke or frame F andcarries a crank, D, by which it is operated. The driving-wheels aremounted on this crankshaft, as will be presently described.

The driving-wheelsE E are mounted on the crank-shaft D, one rigidly andthe other loosely. The adjacentfaces ofthese wheelshave a clutchformation, and so, when they are brought together, the rigidly -mountedone, when the crank-shaft is turned, will drive the other. A spring isinterposed between them, (see Fig. 6,) by which they are kept apart whennot forcibly held together. A drive-chain, E", is mounted on the wheel Eand passes down around the lower pair of twisting-wheels, and asimilardrive-chain, E is mounted on the drive-wheel E and passes up around theup per pair of twisting-wheels, thus giving each pair of twisting-wheelsan independent connection with the driving mechanism, as shown. By thismeans, as will be readily understood, either one pair only of thetwisting-wheels may be driven by turning the crank, or both pairstogether, and the machine'thus adapted for use with either short or longpickets, at pleasure. This arrangement is especially valuable when, asis often the case, it is desired to construct afence with alternatelylong and short pickets. When the long pickets are to be woven into thefence, the two drive-wheels are coupled together by means of the clutch,and all of the twisting-wheels are thus driven. When it is desired toinsert a short picket,then the two driving-wheels are separated, and onepair of twisting-wheels are driven, the others remaining idle.

A good device for holding the drivingwheels together is ahook-shapedplate, K, pivoted inside the frame or yoke F, which, when raised up,(see Fig. 1,) permits the wheels to be separated by the force of theinterposed spring, said frame or yoke being wide enough to permit themto separate sufficiently so that the clutch will be disengaged, but whensaid hooked plate is pushed down the looselymounted wheel is forcedtoward its fellow and engages therewith, so that both are driven.

The yoke or frame F is securely bolted to the standard A and extends outa convenient distance to one side thereof to permit the crank to beconveniently operated. It is preferably provided with a slot or seriesof holes for the bolt or bolts F, by which it is secured to the standardso that it may be adjusted thereon. The brackets which carry thetwisting-wheels are also adjustable up and down by means of the serratedfaces thereon, which engage with the serrated faces on the plates A, andare thus adapted to carry the twisting-wheels to positions at a greateror less distance apart. The adjustment of this frame or yoke F permitsthis to be done without lengthening or shortening the driving-chains, itbeing manifest that when the driving'wheels are brought nearer, to thestandard the twisting-wheels can be moved farther apart with the samelength of chain, and when the driving-wheels are carried farther fromthe standard the twistingwheels are necessarily brought closer together,which, as before indicated, can easily be done by loosening the boltswhich hold the brackets O and swinging said brackets to a newposition,and then tightening said bolts, which holds the brackets assecurely as before, by means of the serrated faces before described.

By the use of the arms G and the plate P the picket can be placed inposition and forced between the wires, as desired, without theemployment of. a separate device. The pickets H and wires I are ofcourse the ordinary wires and pickets of which this character of fenceis constructed.

The operation is as follows: The posts being set and the wires strung,(passing through the twistiug-wheels,) the machine is mounted by meansof the truck-frame and trucks on a board secured to the posts andserving as a track therefor. In building fence in which all the picketsare of the longer sort the hook-plate K is kept down into the positionshown in Fig. 6. The pickets are placed one by one into position,resting on the plate 1?, and are forced up between the wires by pushingthe machine toward them, which brings the arms or bearingsGin forciblecontact therewith. The wires are twisted between each picket byrevolving the twisting-wheels by means of the crank which operates thedriving-wheels and driving-chains. When it is desired to use alternatelylong and short pickets, the operation is the same, except that withevery other picket the hook-plate K is raised up, permitting theloosely-mounted driving-wheel to escape from its clutch engagementwiththe other, and thus only the two twisting-wheels are operated to twistthe wires instead of all four.

Having thus fully described our said invention, what we claim-as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a fence-machine, of several twisting-wheels, twodriving-wheels, and independent driving-chains running from saiddriving-wheels to said twisting-wheels or groups of twisting-wheels, oneof said drivingwheels being provided with means of engagement with theother, whereby either a part or all of the twisting-wheels may bedriven.

2. The combination, in a fence-machine, of a series of twisting-wheelsadjustable toward or from each other, a driving wheel or wheels locatedto one side of the twisting-wheels and adjustable toward or from saidtwisting-wheels, and drive chains connecting said twistingwheels andsaid drive-wheels, whereby said IIO twisting-wheels can be adjusted todifferent positions without varying the length of said driving-chains,substantially as set forth.

3. A fence-machine having aseries of twisting-wheels, mechanism foroperating said series of twisting-wheels, and means for throwing aportion of said twisting-wheels out of connection with the operatingmechanism, substantially as set'forth.

4. In a fence-machine, the combination of the twisting-wheels anddrive-chains, two independent drivingwheels mounted upon the same shaftand provided with clutch-faces, one being mounted loosely on said shaft,and means for holding said wheels together and for forcing them apart,and means for operating said shaft, whereby the twisting-wheels orgroups of twisting-wheels driven therefrom may be operatedindependently, substantially as set forth. a

rnnooonr r. VANDEGRIFT. [L. s] ALFRED L. MAPLE. a. 3.

In presence of- ED E. ELLIOTT, CHAS. MAJOR.

